Two candidates, one a fellow Republican, also seek to succeed Bowen

By Jordan Carleo-Evangelist

Updated 9:02 pm, Saturday, June 1, 2013

Saratoga County Republicans on Saturday backed former Stillwater town justice and sheriff's investigator Michael Zurlo to succeed retiring long-time Sheriff James Bowen.

The endorsement on the eve of the start of ballot petitioning, which begins Tuesday, comes just days after county Democrats endorsed Conservative Party candidate and former Glens Falls Police Officer Phil Lindsey for the $113,305-a-year post.

But first, Zurlo will first have to get past fellow Republican Jeff Gildersleeve, a retired State Police senior investigator who mounted his own bid for the party's blessing and said Saturday he has no intention of leaving the race.

"My plan right now is to continue forward, primary Mike Zurlo and let the voters decide who they want to represent them," said Gildersleeve, 56, who criticized party brass on Facebook last week for urging him to exit the race.

A third Republican and retired New York State Park Police sergeant, Jack Sadousky, also sought the GOP's nod but has since dropped out of the race and backed Gildersleeve.

Zurlo, 59, began his law enforcement career with the Mechanicville police in 1974 and resigned the justice post he was elected to in 2011 to run for sheriff after Bowen announced in April he would be stepping down from the job he's held for 11 terms.

"This has been a goal that I always wanted to do," Zurlo said of the chance to add sheriff to his three-decade law enforcement career.

Lindsey, 50, joined the South Glens Falls Police Department as a part-time officer after retiring from the force in Glens Falls. "I'm looking forward to it," Lindsey said, "and I'm going to run a clean race."

Martin is not seeking election to the seat so he can run for county supervisor from Saratoga Springs, and Kerner said Democrats have not backed anyone in the clerk's race. Nor have the Democrats endorsed anyone to oppose District Attorney James A. Murphy III, who again received the county Republican Committee's support for re-election.

Republicans are also backing incumbent Thomas Nolan and Washington County Judge Stanley Pritzker for two seats in the state Supreme Court's 4th Judicial District. Democrats are backing Schenectady County Family Court Judge Mark Powers for the Supreme Court bench.